UNDER SIEGE
We begged Texas synagogue terrorist to give himself up – he should never have been allowed into the US, says family
THE family of the Texas synagogue terrorist begged him to surrender during the terrifying siege - and said he should never have been allowed into the United States.
British national Malik Faisal Akram, 44, was reportedly in the country less than a month before he bought guns on the street, President Joe Biden said on Sunday.
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Akram, from Blackburn in Lancashire, England, kept members of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville captive for almost 12 hours during a tense standoff on Saturday.
He was shot dead at around 9pm local time after the FBI stormed the building and the four hostages, a rabbi and three worshippers, were unharmed.
Akram's brother Gulbar told of the family's "devastation" in a statement and revealed they had spent hours "liaising with Faisal" during the siege and tried to convince him to surrender.
But Gulbar said "there was nothing we could have said" to get him to give himself up.
He said: "We are absolutely devastated as a family. We can't say much now as there is an ongoing FBI investigation.
"We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologize wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident.
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"Sitting in the incident room all last night at Greenbank liaising with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI, etc.
"Although my brother was suffering from mental health issues, we were confident that he would not harm hostages.
Read our Texas synagogue hostage situation live blog for the latest news and updates...
"There was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender."
He added: "We would also like to add that any attack on any human being be it a Jew, Christian or Muslim etc is wrong and should always be condemned.
"It is absolutely inexcusable for a Muslim to attack a Jew or for any Jew to attack a Muslim, Christian, Hindu vice versa etc."
According to Sky News, Gulbar was "trying to get him to back down and to ensure that no harm was caused".
His family have also demanded to know how Akram was allowed into America despite a long criminal record and mental health problems.
Gulbar told Sky News said: "He's known to police. Got a criminal record. How was he allowed to get a visa and acquire a gun?"
Biden described the incident as an "act of terror" and answered questions from reporters during a hunger relief event in Philadelphia.
He said: "We don't have all the facts yet, but allegedly he purchased the weapons on the street after he landed."
Biden said an investigation was underway to find out where Akram bought the guns from.
As the hostage situation unfolded on Saturday, Akram claimed to have bombs in a backpack.
'NO BOMBS'
Investigators said they have not yet found any explosive material at the scene, and Biden repeated that on Sunday.
He said: "There were no bombs that we know of like he said there were. Apparently, he spent the first night in a homeless shelter.
"I don't have all the details yet so I'm reluctant to go into any more details."
Akram flew to the US about two weeks ago through JFK International Airport in New York, according to and the .
The FBI didn't officially confirm or deny these reports when asked by The Sun on Sunday evening.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was "aware of the death of a British man in Texas and are in contact with the local authorities".
Late on Saturday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott that all four people who had been held hostage were taken out of the synagogue "alive and safe".
The FBI confirmed that the suspect was killed after loud bangs and gunfire were heard inside the building.
The incident was extraordinarily captured on the synagogue's livestream, with the captor demanding the release of terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill US Army officers in Afghanistan.
One of the hostages, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, said Akram became "increasingly belligerent and threatening" towards the end of the incident.
'AN ISOLATED INCIDENT'
The hostage event was an isolated incident, according to Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mayorkas said in a statement that Department of Homeland Security is keeping an eye on social media for copycats.
The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and Jewish Community Relations Council on Sunday.
It said: "The Federation’s Community Security team coordinated with the Secure Community Network (SCN), created by Jewish Federations of North America, throughout the day.
"SCN reports that the situation appears to be local and isolated, and they are not aware of any direct, credible threats to any other institutions."
The FBI has said they believe Akram acted alone.
But cops in the UK on Sunday said they arrested two teenagers in connection with the standoff in the United States.
Greater Manchester Police said: "As part of the ongoing investigation into the attack that took place at a Synagogue in Texas on 15 January 2022, Officers from Counter Terror Policing North West have made two arrests in relation to the incident.
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“Two teenagers were detained in South Manchester this evening. They remain in custody for questioning.
"CTP North West and CTP International operations continues to assist the investigation being led by the US authorities, and police forces in the region are liaising with local communities to put in place any measures to provide further reassurance."
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